The Prologue
Osgard knew it was almost time. The Queen had had terrible pains all day. It had already been more than nine full moons, so it was time that she gave birth to his heir. The court’s maidservants were already with her. His most trusted magicians had also foreseen that something important for the kingdom was about to happen. What could be more important than that? The king was looking outside the window of his chambers, gazing at the kingdom of Artemisia. The night breeze was soft, but still so cold as to send chills down his spine. A cold winter was about to come. It was fortunate that his wife would not have to go through the winter while being pregnant. The kingdom would welcome the coming of his heir next morning in a celebration. He also had to invite his ally, King Oliaf, to the palace. He was an important ally after all. A knock on the door suddenly broke his train of thoughts. “Come in” he demanded. It was his messenger. “I’m sorry to disturb you, your Majesty, but I fear we have visitors.” said the messenger to his king. The king did not even bother to turn his head around. “Whoever it is, tonight is an important day for the whole of Artemisia. I am available to no one. Now go. The messenger did not turn around to leave. “Sir….it is Rhasman. He has arrived in order to deliver some news exclusively to you.” The king thought his ears had betrayed him, so he ordered the messenger to repeat. The answer did not change. “I’ll have your head if this is any sort of trick or prank!” The king threatened. He then hastily walked out of the room. Rhasman was an infamous man throughout the four kingdoms of Thalassa. This enigmatic figure only appeared before a war declaration or a death of an important leader or prophet. He was known as a harbinger of terrible news. Everything that he had foreseen in the past had come to pass. The dragon disappearances, the attack of the Trolls to the kingdom of Marsia, even the elves turning against their former guardians, the druids, and annihilating them all. A magician, a warlock, a warrior, a prophet, a demon. He answered to all those characterizations at the same time. Now, of all times, was the worst moment to have a visit like that. He went to the dining chambers and ordered to bring the guest to him. Rhasman immediately arrived. He was wearing a black cloak that covered most of his body. His face was only partially revealed. There were some strange circles and marks engraved on the revealed parts of the man’s chest and forehead. He then casually sat on a chair, far away from the king, and began eating the wealthy meal of the king’s table. “I believe you have come here for more than to eat my food.” The king said. Rhasman did not stop eating, as if he had not listened the king speaking to him. “I am your king, not a child. YOU WILL ANSWER TO ME!” Osgard was not enraged. Rhasman suddenly stopped eating. He cleaned himself and angrily looked at the king. Osgard knew what this man was capable of; it would be for the best if they did not have to fight. “…To what do I owe the unpleasant surprise?” Osgard asked sarcastically. Rhasman smirked. “Osgard…the greatest of all kings. Your bloodline is great, and so it will continue to be. So great, that your two sons will not be believed to be born by the flesh of the woman and the man. The one will rise to the seven heavens, and the other will fall to the depths of hell. Those cursed children of yours will one day destroy not only the kingdom, but the lands of Thalassa will become a legend tto the generations that are to follow, for nothing of us will remain. That is what I foresaw. If you wish to avoid that future, then do as I say. Kill your own flesh and blood. Kill the one of your two kids. The two men should never meet one another. That is all I have to say.” “…How dare you speak such words? Even the worst devils would never speak of an act like that…Are you suggesting me to murder my own son? How dare you! I do not believe a word you say. GUARDS! SEIZE HIM!” Rhasman immediately stood up, like he was expecting something like this. The guards immediately entered the chambers and surrounded the man. He raised his hands. Suddenly, the floor started shaking. He had summoned the earth and formed an earthquake. “The likes of you…will never cast judgement upon me. The likes of you…will soon regret it. We shall never meet again, Osgard, you fool…”said the man. After this, a thunderbolt stroke down and the king was blinded for a second. When he could see again, the other man was nowhere to be seen. The earthquake had also stopped. Rhasman was gone. Troubled by the terrible news, the king left the dining room without a word. Osgard was still unwilling to believe the news. As he was about to withdraw to his chambers in order to think what had happened, he heard a woman’s voice. “Your majesty! Your majesty! The queen has given birth! You are a father!” said the young woman, overly excited to deliver such good news. The king felt like he had seen a ghost. “…She finally gave birth to a child…” The young girl laughed. “Not to one, but to two! You are a father of two sons!” Said the woman. The king’s skin got paler and paler by the second. The woman noticed that and dismissed herself. It took Osgard a lot of time to think of all those unexpected news that suddenly had fallen on his shoulders. He had to make a terrible decision. However, Osgard was used to making hard decisions. This was another one of those. It was his kingdom or an infant. He had to kill his son, for the sake of his kingdom. He did not hesitate anymore. He took a dagger and walked to his queen’s chambers. She was holding her babies, singing a lullaby. They were so…small and fragile. So ignorant. He had to end this quick. The Queen looked overjoyed. She was finally a mother, after all those years she was trying to become one...No. Osgard should not think about this matter. The queen noticed him. Her expression suddenly changed, as she sawher husband’s expression and the weapon on his hand. She was terrified. “…No. No! GO AWAY!” She said. The king grabbed one of the two boys out of her hands. “NO!” She screamed. The king held the dagger high and was about to deliver the decisive blow. The woman had now fallen to her knees, begging him. “Please…I know what has happened. Please do not do this. There must be another way. You cannot do this to your own flesh and blood! Not to my child!” Osgard took a look at the young life on his hand. The infant was looking straight into his eyes. Then, he thought he saw a smile on the baby’s face. He took pity on the young human and dropped the dagger. Destiny is something humans can change, after all. He could not do something like this, neither to his son nor to his wife. “…I respect you as I’ve never respected another woman. I shall grant you this wish, milady. I will not kill this infant, even if the well being of my kingdom lies on its death. However, you must also respect my command and follow this order. This baby will live in a faraway place, to the other end of the land. He will grow up, live and die in the kingdom of Aria. We are never going to see him again. Before the queen could answer, he rushed out of the room carrying the baby. He then locked the queen inside her chambers. “Do not let her leave the palace and do not open no matter what she says. She is rather…distraught”. He then walked away. He could hear her screams, but no one else in the entire palace would, except of course the guards. Not this late. If the two men were fated to meet each other and bring the end of the world, then he would make sure they would never face each other. He knew exactly how to deal with this situation. The one boy would grow to be Artemisia’s next king next to him. The other one would grow up as a peasant’s son, or even servant for all he knew. It was all for better. That is how it had to be.